Single and locked out of Beijing's dating scene by the pandemic, Amy was encouraged by other women in online chatrooms to find a solution to her enforced abstinence – a sex toy.
But it is also a product of a wider cultural shift in attitudes towards sex by a younger and more open-minded demographic. But China's divorce rate reached a record high of more than 3.1 million in the first 9 months of 2019 – a sign of change in societal values. But, driven mainly by female and millennial consumers, the country's nascent sex toy market is valued at over 100 billion yuan , according to Chinese research firm iiMedia.
"The people who bought during the pandemic were mainly first-time buyers," said Noel, and for"70%" of them it will likely be a one-time purchase.China now produces 70% of global exports of sex toys, Daxue Consulting said in a March report.